do the decent thing
Behave with integrity
To do the decent thing is to act honorably when circumstances demand it, especially when doing so requires personal sacrifice or discomfort.
The phrase often implies moral obligation—what a reasonable person would expect: After getting her pregnant, he did the decent thing and married her.
It can also mean acknowledging failure gracefully: The minister should do the decent thing and resign.
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
- helpAssistance given
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
- courageFortitude facing danger
- bite the bulletAccept inevitable hardship
integrity · moral obligation · apology · man up · step down · trust · duty · courtesy · own up · face the music · obligation · take responsibility · respectability · virtue · make amends · resign · shame · rectitude
do the decent thinglook out for number one
Favor your own interests
play dirty · sell out · take advantage · cut and run · weasel out
do the decent thingleave someone in the lurch
Desert in difficulty
walk away · duck out · turn a blind eye · weasel out · turn one's back
doing, undoing, decent, decently, indecent, indecently, decency, indecency, thing